I wonder if electric cars will make potholes worse by increasing the average weight of vehicles on the road. 🚘
The Tesla Model S weights roughly 2 1/2 tons, the Ford F150 lightening electric is nearly 5 tons. While not as heavy as commercial vehicles, electric passenger car and trucks are quite a bit heavier than gas motors due to battery packs.
If aluminum ion batteries eventually replace lithium ion batteries electric vehicles might even get heavier. Aluminum ion batteries are 3 times more energy dense but also 3 times heavier than lithium ion batteries, with much faster routine charging. Load up a 3/4 ton 2500 truck with an extended range aluminum ion battery you might end up with a 7 1/2 ton curb weight vehicle versus about 4 tons for the diesel. Good in snow but probably not great for roads if everybody is driving around in big heavy vehicles.
The desire for longer and longer ranges might actually encourage vehicles to get bigger and longer too to accommodate bigger battery packs, plus fuel economy is unlikely to be mandated with electric cars in the near term.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Four weeks to Hottest Time of the Year 😅. That with the new climate normals is 85 degrees, although it will certainly be warmer than that today in Albany. Not quite as warm though in Spectulator. Sunny and 66 degrees in Speculator, NY. 🌞 Calm wind. The dew point is 61 degrees. Going to be hot and muggy, though not as bad as back home where the shades are drawn.
Yesterday was a nice day 🏖 did some swimming at the Spectulator beach 🏊🏻♂️ after hiking back to the Kunjamunk Cave and the Kunjamunk Creek by the gravel permit although the increasingly high grass, likely filled with ticks, snowmobile trail didn’t lead me to Elm Lake, at least it did take me back to the road. I was tired 😴 though after all that time in the sun ☀. Got ice cream 🍦at the Sacandaga Creamery and ice and apple 🍏 juice at Charlie John’s which I certainly needed with the heat.
Today will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Sunny 🌞, with a high of 84 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 8am. 😰 Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 75 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1999.
I am hoping to work entirely from camp today 💻 although I’m fully prepared to head into town should a Zoom Meeting be called so I can use my laptop with the virtual background over the library Wi-Fi. Otherwise I’m content with using my phone for streaming video and the Hotspot and laptop for most other tasks. Going to be a late night at work but my phone 📱 should work good assisted by my laptop as necessary. I booted windows earlier this morning to ensure it was working.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.3° from the due south horizon (-0.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 31 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 39 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of 56 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy , with a low of 66 degrees at 3am. 11 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10pm. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2020, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 49 degrees. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1951.
On this day in 1965, the Supreme Court of the United States hands down its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples.
Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, scattered showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 52 at 7pm. Sunday, scattered showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 54 at 8am. Typical average high for the weekend is 79 degrees.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Summer ️⛱️ when the sun will be setting at 8:41 pm with dusk at 9:17 pm. On that day in 2020, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 92 and 69 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 81 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1938.
Good morning! Happy Friday! Up in the Adirondacks for a few days of camping and remote work 💻 while Albany bakes in the heat wave, although I do have to be in Albany come Wednesday and maybe sooner depending on how things go. Six weeks to Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆. Partly cloudy and 62 degrees in Speculator, NY. ⛅ There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 57 degrees. While it was raining ☔ when I left Albany it is super nice here, maybe a bit cold with the lake breeze there is a lot of sun and it’s quite nice up north. I kind of wish I brought my kayak 🛶 but that gets difficult with remote work and needing sunshine to make solar energy so I can stay cool and my laptop charged.
Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. 🌩 It’s called summer. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 76 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 57 at 9am. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1919. Probably not that warm in Spectulator, as that’s the Albany record.
I am planning to camp somewhere in the Greater Spectulator-area for the weekend, and then decide how long next week to stay up north. 🏕 The thing is on my remote days, it’s a lot cooler to work from the woods, but I will need to be back next week by Wednesday for my in-person days in the office. I figure it’s best to maximize remote work until we have to be back in the office more days of the week. Next week I have my therapy session 👨⚕️ but the following week I will either go out Schoharie County or the Potholers if it’s nice, as it’s a three-day weekend with the new Juneteenth Holiday. If I do the Potholers, then I will definately want to bring the kayak, for either the East Branch or Lily Lake. By then maybe lillies will be out?
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69° from the due south horizon (-1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 29 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 45 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.
My fishing license is expired but I plan to renew it today, 🎣 so I can do some fishing tomorrow. I don’t have my kayak and it’s a few weeks before bass season opens up, but based on the number of anglers there was in Wells this morning, I probably should go down there to fish. That said, I am a bit tethered to Spectulator as I need I need to have good cell service and wi-fi to work, especially if I decide to stay up this way for the first half of next week.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy , with a low of 55 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 6th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 2am. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1990.
Tomorrow will have patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 80 degrees at 1pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 16th. Maximum dew point of 61 at 1pm. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1925.
Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. West wind around 9 mph. Maximum dew point of 61 at 8am. Typical average high for the weekend is 77 degrees.
One month 📅 from now will be Independence Day 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 8:41 pm with dusk at 9:16 pm. The average high temperature is 76 degrees, with a record high of 97 in 1919.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. ⛪ Nice morning and so far the black flies aren’t out in mass yet. 🐜 Four weeks to Fathers Day 👨 . Mostly sunny and 51 degrees in Speculator, NY. Light breeze from the west.
Yesterday I did a 3 mile hike along a bunch of dirt roads at Spectulator Tree Farm. 🌲I plan to upload those photos from my other camera 📸 later on probably after also hiking Watch Hill today. Lots of birds and wildlife and some nice quiet views. 🐦 I liked hiking for hours without seeing anyone, the breeze kept the black flies away 🐜 and the mix of timberland and woods meant there was much to see. Came back to camp, made up a big bowl of macaroni and cheese 🧀 with corn 🌽 and ham. Good dinner after a nice day, had a fire 🔥 and watched the stars ✨. Got a bit sunburnt and are a bit achy last night 🤕 but I figure that’s just summer coming on or skin cancer.
Today will have a slight chance of showers between noon and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. ⚡ Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 65 degrees at 1pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 28th. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 73 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1991.
My plan is to get a fairly early start – after my breakfast of eggs and coffee ☕ take down campand head into town for ice. I haven’t turned my truck on since Thursday evening 🔋 but I know the starting battery is fully charged as the solar has done well, especially yesterday with the bright 🔆 sunshine.
I want to do a hike up Watch Hill 🚶🏻 before the thunderstorms ⛈ hit later. I don’t want tbe to be hiking in a thunderstorm especially with my quite worn boots 👢 that no longer have good traction in the rain. I’m going to order a new pair on Monday along with some jeans 👖. I need more clothes now that starting next week I’ll be working downtown a few days a week.
I thought about other hikes 🗻 but I like Watch Hill and I’m not expecting too many crowds off season but it should be pretty with everything greening up nicely. Easy hike, I should be off it by afternoon when the thunderstorms roll in. I like sitting down by the lake. 🐦 I’ll keep my eyes out for birds and wildlife.
Then camp off by Mason Lake tonight ⛺ and head back to town to work in Spectulator in the morning and head home thereafter. Technically, I don’t have to be in the office until Wednesday but I want a day home to unpack 💼 and plus I would rather do the Zoom Meetings from the library Wi-Fi than my phone 📱 as it looks bad to be zooming from camp when other colleagues are in the downtown office. Hybrid for now. It will be nice to see some of my colleagues in the office, 🏢 especially the ones I’ve Zoomed with mostly lately.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.7° from the due south horizon (-4.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:35 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (291°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (298°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:17 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 19 seconds with dusk around 8:49 pm, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west (266°) at an altitude of 41° from the horizon, 244,296 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:32 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 57 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 45 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 6 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm, then a slight chance of showers between 7pm and 9pm. Partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 43 degrees at 5am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 2nd. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 30 occurred back in 1959.
Should be a decent evening. 🌃 I could stay until Tuesday but I think Monday night makes the most sense. Work from my actual apartment on Tuesday and get my suit ready for Wednesday. 👨🏻🏫 The good thing had to end with the pandemic ending and I kind of look forward to my own time on the bus 🚍. Plus it gets hot especially working from home without air conditioning. I’m just glad that the vaccine is so effective 💉 and they repaired Piseco-Powley Road, 🏊🏻♂️ meaning easy trips to the Potholers and the Mine Kill Pool will be open once again.
Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Fathers Day 👨 when the sun will be setting at 8:39 pm with dusk at 9:14 pm. On that day in 2020, we had a pretty cool but partly sunny day with temperatures between 66 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1892.
Good morning! Happy Saturday. It’s the weekend! No worktoday for me. ☺ Five weeks to Average High is 80 🏖 . Mostly sunny and 50 degrees in Speculator, NY. There is a west breeze at 6 mph. 🍃.
I checked and it looks like Mason Lake Road is open 👌🏻 but after checking the ice and thinking about it some more I decided to camp one more day off NY 8B and then head up on Sunday when more camping options are open. 🚶🏻 I’m thinking I’ll hike Watch Hill on Sunday and today I want to do some birding 🐦 on Upper Robb Creek Road based on a friend’s recommendation.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 68 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 6th. West wind 6 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1900.
Should be a real nice day, but I’m hoping for a breeze 🍃 to keep the black flies in check. 🐜 Yesterday wasn’t so bad as there was a a steady breeze for most of the day. Of course I wasn’t happy that the wind blew the tent away 🎪, sending no only the tent 100 ft up and away but also smashing my new lantern 🏮 and ripping out all the tent stakes. Fortunately the screen tent wasn’t damaged. It happened so quickly while I was working on my laptop 🖥 doing work from the hammock. We got this pop up rain shower ☔ and it wasn’t a big deal except for a crazy strong gust after the storm ended. I have the plugged lantern which I will part out for repairs when I get home. 🏡
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.4° from the due south horizon (-4.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:35 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (291°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (298°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:16 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 19 seconds with dusk around 8:48 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (276°) at an altitude of 33° from the horizon, 246,877 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:31 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 59 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 43 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 9 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 39 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 21st. West wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2020, we had rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1980.
Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ when the sun will be setting at 8:34 pm in Spectulator with dusk at 9:09 pm. On that day in 2020, we had hot and humid weather with a thunderstorm and temperatures between 85 and 71 degrees. Sticky night but what do I know I was working remote from the Adirondacks. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1925.
